Yellowstone National Park

MANDEL NGAN, AFP/Getty Images

Budget Travel: "Yes, other National Parks are stunning (Grand Canyon and Yosemite come to mind), but Yellowstone, signed into being by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872, was the very first in the worldand established an early precedent for land conservationists internationally." Shown: President Barack Obama, right, and first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters Sasha and Malia watch the eruption of the Old Faithful Geyser at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

Budget Travel: "Yes, other National Parks are stunning (Grand Canyon and Yosemite come to mind), but Yellowstone, signed into being by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872, was the very first in the worldand established an early precedent for land conservationists internationally." Shown: President Barack Obama, right, and first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters Sasha and Malia watch the eruption of the Old Faithful Geyser at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.